AIFC Converter

AIFC

Audio Interchange File Format Developed By Apple

AIFC (Audio Interchange File Format Compressed) is a variant of the Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF) developed by Apple in 1991. As the name implies, AIFC allows for compressed audio within the standard AIFF wrapper. This was achieved by specifying compression formats like MACE 3:1 and MACE 6:1 as valid encoders. The goal was to reduce file size while retaining reasonable audio quality. Files following the AIFC format have the .aifc file extension and store compressed audio streams that play back identically to AIFF on Mac platforms. Beyond the compression schemes, AIFC also defined extensions for musical instrument data, multiple audio channels, and unicode text. However, AIFC failed to achieve widespread adoption and MACE has since been superseded by more modern formats like MP3 and AAC. While AIFC offered forward-looking compression capabilities, limitations of the reference encoders and lack of compatibility hampered its success. It did demonstrate how AIFF could evolve while retaining backward compatibility.